Le Criard

Félix-Hilaire Buhot

National Gallery of Art

The image is a print with a central rectangular scene bordered by an etched decorative frame. In the central scene, a lone figure wades through tumultuous water, moving toward the left. The horizon line is high, near the top edge of the rectangle, suggesting that the waves dominate the scene, beneath a stormy sky. The artist employs intricate and expressive etching to capture movement and drama through line work and hatchings, giving texture to the waves and clouds. The color palette is monochromatic, using shades of black, gray, and white for contrast. The decorative frame includes lightly sketched figures and scenes, adding an illustrative quality to the piece.